The snow fell heavier and heavier, and soon the fire was extinguished by the heavy snow, leaving a few strands of black smoke wandering in the wind.
Half an hour later, Yang Anxuan and others walked around the mountain forest. The snow flakes were covered with black dust, covering everything in their eyes in gray. The world was so gray that they could not find their way.
Looking around, there was no one in sight. Yang Anxuan was a little frustrated. He had spent all his energy and taken risks but had no results, so he had a bad start.
Zhao Tian brushed the snow off his shoulders, looked around and said, "Third Young Master, the snow is too heavy. We have to wait until the snow gets lighter before we can leave."
The line of sight was only three feet, and the terrain was unfamiliar and the ground was covered with snow, so accidents could happen at any time. Yang Anxuan said helplessly: "Go to the mountain col to avoid the snow."
When we came, we passed through a mountain col. The naturally formed concave wall provided shelter from the wind and snow. There were originally a dozen minions hiding there, but they were killed by Yang Anxuan and others when they passed by.
The sky was getting dark, and the snow didn't stop. The ground was more than half a foot thick. Several bonfires were lit, snow was falling outside, and it was warm as spring inside.
Some wild sheep and pheasants escaped into the snow and became fragrant food on the campfire. They were sprinkled with coarse salt and everyone ate with gusto.
…………
On the pier of Wubao, Yang Quanqi stood with his sword in his hand, looking at the vast white fields, his brows furrowed, and his black cloak was white with flying snow.
There were more than a thousand refugees and nearly a hundred Qingqi. It was such a big deal. It seemed that Xuan'er had guessed it. It was probably Wang Xu who was behind it.
As the helmsman of the Yang family, responsible for the success and failure of the family, Yang Quanqi did not dare to slack off at all. He was defeated by Yao Chong in pursuit of Yang Fosong and lost the title of General Long Xiang. If he lost his troops in this ruined fort, who knows what kind of trouble would be caused. .
"...killed more than 150 enemies, captured 319, and captured 36 horses...23 people were killed and 36 injured..." Yang Quanqi felt a mixture of sadness and joy in his heart. The victory was gratifying, not to mention the victory of more than thirty war horses, but dozens of tribesmen were injured and killed. An Xuan boldly went into the mountains to chase the enemy, not knowing whether he was alive or dead, which was really heart-wrenching.
The little man staggered onto the pier on the snow and came to Yang Quanqi's side. It was Yang Qiu.
Pulling on his father's cloak, Yang Qiu raised his face, frowned and asked, "Dad, are third brothers okay?"
Yang Quanqi brushed the snow off his daughter's head, pulled up the cloak and wrapped Yang Qiu in it, saying: "Don't worry, dad sent someone to go into the mountain to check. Your third brother is fine. When the snow stops, dad will take people with him. Go into the mountains to find him.”
Yang Qiu snuggled next to his father, and the father and daughter watched the falling snow in silence.
"Second brother, come down and have a drink to avoid the wind and cold. Don't let it freeze in such heavy snow. Don't worry, An Xuan will be fine with Zhao Tian protecting him." Yang Siping shouted at the bottom of the platform.
Yang Quanqi held his daughter's hand and walked down the pier. The aroma in the Wubao was fragrant. The millet porridge was boiling. The bacon was cut into pieces and put into the porridge. The aroma was mouth-watering.
Of course, the captives can't enjoy it. A few sips of pot water are good. More than 300 people were imprisoned in several broken houses. Snow fell from the broken roofs. Fortunately, a group of people were crowded together, so there was no need to worry about freezing to death.
There was a charcoal fire burning in the tent, and Yang Guang was already slightly drunk. Yang Anyuan sat beside him, holding a wine jar and pouring wine.
After serving Yang Guangman a glass of wine, Yang Anyuan said softly: "Uncle, father blames me for killing my brothers because of my greed for power. Please give me a nice word, uncle."
"Well", Yang Guang picked up the wine glass and said, "I can't blame you for this. Who would have thought that there are more than a hundred Qingqi among these refugees. It seems that An Xuan has guessed that the man named Wang is causing trouble."
After glancing at the uneasy Yang Anyuan, Yang Guang twitched his lips and said, "Don't worry, if your father punishes you, I will speak for you."
…………
Shizhai, meeting hall.
Wang Qiang drank tea leisurely and waited for the news. Sun Tao snatched the tea from Shu merchants. Wang Qiang preferred tea to the sour and bitter village brew.
I admire Grand Tutor Xie the most in my life (1). When the Beifu Army defeated the former Qin Dynasty, Duke Xie was still able to sit back and play chess with others.
This time against Yang Quanqi, the four coalition forces had as many as 1,600 troops and more than 80 light cavalry. Wang Qiang felt that he was sure of victory, but he just sat back and waited for the news.
It was about noon, it was snowing heavily, and the tea was running out. Wang Qiang couldn't sit still, so he stood up, wagging his tail, and walked to the wall of the village to look at the snow.
The black smoke from miles away was particularly eye-catching. Wang Qiang took a breath and had an ominous premonition. How could there be a fire in the mountains?
After a while, a defeated army brought news of the defeat. Wang Qiang's whole body was cold and he was sifted into a ball. After a while, his soul returned to his body. He looked up to the sky and sighed: "It's over. Everything is over."
The stone village has become a mess, and the minions are running noisily down the mountain with their backpacks and burdens.
Sun Tao didn't know whether to live or die, and Wang Qiang didn't want to wait any longer. He had shown up in Luoyang. If he fell into the hands of the Yang family, Wang Xu would definitely put the blame on himself. As for big figures like King Kuaiji and Zhongshu Ling, they would want him to be shattered into pieces, lest he fall into pieces. Implicate them.
He found a ragged brown robe and put it on over his robe, replaced the turban with rags, and threw away the turban. Wang Qiang stumbled down the mountain with a blank document in his arms, supported by two attendants.
…………
At daybreak, the wind stopped and the snow stopped, and there were feet of snow on the ground. The sky and the earth were vast, and the mountains and forests were like jade balls of silver makeup, and I had no idea where I was.
Yang Anxuan pulled out his boots from the snow and said with a wry smile: "The mountain is blocked by heavy snow, and I'm afraid I won't be able to get out."
Zhao Tian narrowed his eyes and said, "I wonder if it will snow again. I need to find someone to lead the way out of the mountain as soon as possible."
After climbing to the top of the mountain and looking around, Zhao Tian found a string of black spots moving several miles to the northwest.
Yang Anxuan looked at the direction of Zhao Tian's finger for a moment and said with certainty: "It's a human being."
Having an epiphany on the battlefield yesterday, Yang Anxuan felt his mind moving. The scene in front of him was as clear as after the rain. He could even feel the slightest sound of wind and grass. Although the black spots in the distance were far away, Yang Anxuan quickly confirmed that they were people.
Zhao Tian identified the direction in which the black shadow was moving, pointed to the hilltop not far away and said: "These people should pass by there, let's go there to intercept them."
It took almost half an hour for the group to reach the hill where Yang Anxuan and others were ambushing.
After a hail of arrows, five or six people fell down, and the remaining three were captured without help.
After interrogation, it was learned that the name of the bandit leader in the mountain was Sun Tao. He heard that the Yang family brought a large amount of gold and silver with them south, so they teamed up with other refugee commanders to come to rob and kill him.
Among the nine thieves was Sun Tao, Sun Tao's third brother, and they were preparing to go to Blackwater Pool.
Blackwater Pond is about five miles away from here. The thieves built a wooden house there to store food and avoid the wind and snow.
After discussing with Zhao Tian, Yang Anxuan decided to go to Blackwater Pool to try his luck. Let Sun Tao lead the way, Yang Anxuan, Zhao Tian and others stripped off the thief's clothes and put them on, while the others followed half a mile behind and headed towards the Blackwater Pond.
More than half an hour later, through the gaps in the forest, you could see a pool of water in front of you. Yang Anxuan asked softly: "Are you here?"
Sun Tao straightened his waist forward, a few steps away from the shining scimitar, turned his eyes and looked around, and said, "Yes."
Zhao Tian signaled to Yang Anxuan and walked in the front. Yang Anxuan stabbed Sun Tao's clothes with the tip of the blade and said coldly: "Be honest, or I will stab you to death."
The sound through the forest startled the birds on the trees. The birds fluttered their wings and flew away, causing the snow on the trees to fall. It also alerted the thieves by the pond.
"Who?" someone asked loudly.
Yang Anxuan stabbed Sun Tao with a knife. Sun Tao felt the pain and hissed, "It's me."
"Third Master?" The man said loudly: "Third Master is back, go and tell him."
Sun Tao secretly complained, how could his eldest brother be in the Black Water Pond? It was so bad that the army was blocked here.
Blackwater Pond is a pond with a radius of half an acre. There is a row of wooden houses at the foot of the mountain on the north side. In the open space in front of the wooden houses, several steaming large pots are cooking breakfast.
Several thieves came over with smiles and smiled at Sun Tao from a distance of seven or eight feet: "Third Master, I was still talking about you just now, for fear that something would happen to you."
Sun Tao suddenly ran forward and shouted: "Everyone, be careful, the army is coming."
It was difficult to walk on the snow, but Yang Anxuan caught up with him and stabbed him with his sword. The scimitar pierced Sun Tao's waist. Sun Tao fell to the ground and twitched, and the snow was dyed red with blood.
Yang Anxuan did not draw his sword, stretched out his hand to pick up his bow and nocked an arrow, and shot an arrow at the thief on the opposite side. The arrow hit his throat, and the man fell down in response. Zhao Tian and others fired arrows one after another, and in an instant the thieves fell to the ground.
The thieves in front of the wooden house were in a mess. Some rushed towards them with weapons, some were dumbfounded, and some turned around and fled to the wooden house. In the panic, the porridge pot was knocked over and the heat dispersed.
Yang Anxuan, Zhao Tian and others were arranged in a fan-like manner. The thieves who rushed forward could not get close at all and fell down five or six feet away. The remaining thieves lost their courage and did not dare to rush over again, so they looked for hiding places.
In the innermost wooden house, Sun Tao, Yu Qing, Hu Zhang and others were discussing matters.
"...Stealing chickens will result in losses of rice. Our village has lost at least 200 people this time, and its vitality has been severely damaged. Mr. Sun, the corn and money you promised must not be lost to me." Yu Qing said with a sad face.
Hu Zhang sighed: "It's not easy for Daola people in this world. The people that Yu's family lost are nothing. But most of the people I brought with me were clan members. I have suffered a lot of losses. How can I explain it when I go back?"
Sun Tao said: "Don't worry, you two. I, Mr. Sun, keep his word. Wang Changshi is in my Shizhai. He is the person sent by King Kuaiji and Zhongshu Ling. You two have also read the document with the big seal. Yes, there will be no lies, and the court will not lose our things. Yesterday I discussed the alliance with the two of them, and I don’t know what to think about..."
Yu Qing interrupted Sun Tao and said, "I only want corn and money, and it doesn't matter if I don't serve as an official in the court."
"Yes, although Da Lankou is not as good as Panlong Mountain, Hu would rather be a chicken head than a phoenix tail. Master Sun should not mention the alliance again." Hu Zhang also said.
Sun Tao sneered in his heart. The army was defeated yesterday, Yu Wenqi disappeared, and Hu Zhang and Yu Qing were coerced into the mountain by him.
Now that you have entered your own territory, you can't help but want to escape. Join Panlong Mountain and become my subordinates. You might as well get promoted and make a fortune together. Otherwise, after the Yang family army leaves, you can lead people to destroy Wan'an Mountain and Dalankou first, and then go there. Looking for Yu Wenqi, those war horses are good things that money cannot buy.
There were wolves crying and ghosts howling outside the house, and someone rushed into the house to report: "Master, the army is coming."
Sun Tao and the others stood up in horror, took their weapons and rushed outside the house. Sun Tao shouted angrily: "Blackwater Pond is so secretive, how could the officers and soldiers come here? Who led the way?"
"It's Third Master."
"The third child? Damn it, where is he?"
"Killed by the army."
"Ah." Sun Tao felt his heart twisting, his steps staggering, and he shouted in pain: "Third brother."
Looking at Yang Anxuan and others who were more than ten feet tall with blood-red eyes, Sun Tao roared: "Kill them and chop them into meat paste to avenge the third master."
Seeing that the leader was the first to rush towards the officers and soldiers, the morale of the thieves and soldiers was greatly boosted, and they started to kill towards the officers and soldiers one after another.
When Hu Zhang and Yu Qing saw that there were only seven or eight officers and soldiers, they felt reassured and followed Sun Tao while shouting.
Yang Anxuan shot the last arrow, threw the bow on the ground, pulled out the knife from Sun Tao, and was about to meet the enemy when Zhao Tian beside him shouted: "Back off."
There are over a hundred thieves in Blackwater Pool. If they are surrounded, there is only one way to die. Yang Anxuan did not hesitate and led everyone back towards the way they came, with Sun Tao and others hot on their heels.
Yang Anxuan recognized the black leather armor on Sun Tao's body, and a smile appeared on his face. Finally, it was not in vain, and he blocked the thief's head here.
He retreated into the forest and joined the soldiers behind him. Their quivers were still full. Yang Anxuan laughed loudly and said: "The leader of the thieves is here. Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy and perform meritorious service."
"Wei!" He called Bai Nuo with great momentum.
